Federal mandates weigh heavy in Worcester's $1.3B project list

Monday

Jan 21, 2013 at 6:00 AMJan 21, 2013 at 9:19 PM

By Nick Kotsopoulos TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Faced with the “daunting” prospects of nearly $1.3 billion worth of water and sewer repairs and improvements to be done over the next five years, city officials say that work will have to be balanced against what the city can afford and the ratepayers’ ability and willingness to pay.

They said while water and sewer needs are great, the city continues to face an uphill battle when it comes to unfunded mandates from the federal government and coming up with money for critical infrastructure needs.

City Manager Michael V. O’Brien said costly mandates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will leave little, if any, funding to allow the city to make its own improvements that the community desires.

“The needs are great, and they represent opportunities and challenges,” Mr. O’Brien said.

Of the nearly $1.3 billion worth of water and sewer improvement work that has been identified, involving 18 separate projects, roughly $1.2 billion is for federally mandated programs, according to Robert L. Moylan Jr., commissioner of public works and parks.

The projects include further upgrades to the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District sewer treatment plant in Millbury and upgrades to the city’s storm water collection system and to its sewer system.

Meanwhile, the city has identified $79.2 million worth of other improvements it feels are worthwhile and should be pursued because they will have tangible benefits for the community.

The so-called discretionary projects include further improvements to address persistent flooding in the Green Island neighborhood ($20 million), the dredging and restoration of Salisbury Pond ($10 million), phosphorus removal from Indian Lake ($7.5 million), water storage tank repairs ($945,000), rehabilitation of the city’s 48-inch low-service water main ($4.1 million), and installing sewers along the portion of Route 20 that runs from Sunderland Road to the Upper Blackstone treatment plant ($20 million).

But Mr. Moylan said EPA mandates will leave little, if any, funding for the city to pursue those projects.

“We understand the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead for the city and ratepayers,” Mr. Moylan wrote in a report that goes before the City Council Tuesday night. “The list is daunting. While it represents great opportunity, it also presents a great challenge. Is it affordable? At what cost? What gets done and what continues to wait?

“Which projects provide meaningful environmental benefit and which do not?” he asked. “How do we most effectively use ratepayers’ ability and willingness to pay? These questions need to be thoughtfully considered and seriously debated because the course that we are on now, trying to satisfy the voracious appetite of the federal beast called EPA, will not leave any funding to allow the city to make its own self-directed improvements that the community desires.”

Other discretionary water and sewer improvement projects identified by the city include: Quinapoxet pipeline renovations, $2.6 million; Burncoat Street 30-inch water main rehabilitation, $1.7 million; water system security improvements, $1.3 million; spill containment at Kendall Reservoir, $800,000 and filter replacements at the water filtration plant, $325,000.